


Discovering The Stories That Died Untold

by lyn_xx



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 2014 hogwarts, F/M, Family, Family Secrets, Fluff, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Gender Envy, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Hufflepuff Teddy Lupin, M/M, OC, Queer Character, Questioning Sexuality, Quidditch World Cup, School, Teddy Lupin - Freeform, kids of famous wizards, marauders map, mentions of wolfstar, pinning, queer teddy lupin, teddy is just adorable, teenage wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:29:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29739471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyn_xx/pseuds/lyn_xx
Summary: Teddy Lupin undergoes his 5th year at Hogwarts with thoughts of his father and his life he knows nothing about, his sexuality, and more. Together with his friends, he tries not only to survive but also to put together the pieces of the puzzle that were left scattered around after Remus Lupin's death-who was he, what was he like, and is Teddy as similar to him as others claimed?
Relationships: OC/OC, Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Teddy Lupin/Original Character(s), mentions of: - Relationship
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	1. He Was Supposed To Dread That Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to this fic! I have never written fanfiction before because I wanted it to be something I am passionate about. Que Teddy Lupin. My undying love for the marauders actually gave birth to my fascination with Teddy, since his story is still untold (and hopefully never will by j*r) and I decided that writing about him will give me a solid framework to work around, but also a lot of freedom. 
> 
> FOR THE STORY IN TERMS OF CANON!:  
> I am ignoring all of "Cursed Child" since I do not consider it canon. For the sake of this fic, you can consider canon the "Harry Potter" books and also "All the young dudes".
> 
> Here is some info about me before we begin:  
> -English isn't my first language, however, I must admit I love it much more than my own language-Bulgarian. So I am sorry if this isn't perfect. But I am giving it my all.  
> -I am young, queer, and a really big geek. Take that as you wish :)
> 
> FEEL FREE TO COMMENT AND TELL ME YOUR HEADCANONS! I would love it if I got to read your ideas.
> 
> follow me on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/lyn-xx

may 2nd, 2014  
He was supposed to dread that day. To mourn and cry and wish things have been different, pity his own life and his damn luck. But he didn't. It was always the same. The sad music, the crying, the flowers, and cold spring air. The occasional rain, trying to make it more dramatic. But it didn't.  
He didn't feel bad about it. Not feeling sad, that is. He never apologized for his own feelings, not once. Not that his grandma or anyone else ever questioned them. Not on that day at least. Everyone was too preoccupied with their own.  
Yes, you are supposed to cry on death anniversaries. Especially if the people that you are mourning are your parents. Especially if they died a tragic death before you could even start remembering their names. Their faces.  
But somehow not knowing who they were, just knowing that they were what people called "parents" made it all so much easier. It was just a concept, a thing he didn't have. That he would never have. The thought didn't make him flinch. He knew it should, but yet here he was, calm as ever.  
"Ted, are you ready?" called a voice from the living room. It sounded cheerful, but there was more to it and Teddy knew that.  
"Yes, I'm coming!" he shouted back, looking in the mirror one last time. His hair was getting longer, but he had swept it back with some gel. He looked just like the lead singer from Arctic monkeys now. That thought made him smile.  
Grandma won't be happy about it. She wanted him to cut it and Teddy really couldn't tell why. It wasn't that long. Maybe it was the color. Bright blue didn't really match the occasion, so he decided to make it black instead. Just a thought was all it took. The hair immediately turned onyx black. How he looked like a crow.  
He put on his coat and his new shoes, wrapped the black scarf around his neck, and descended down the stairs. The scent of meat and potatoes hit his nose in an instant, leaving his stomach to rumble.  
"There we-" said Grandma and then stopped mid-sentence when she took a look at him. Teddy could read it on her face, the surprise. Like someone had just poured cold water on her from behind. But he couldn't tell if it was pride or disappointment hidden in her eyes. It was always a gamble with her.  
"Why?" she asked, straightening now fully and backing from her work spot on the kitchen table. "Why did you change it?"  
Teddy knew exactly what she meant, even before she finished the thought.  
"Because it wasn't very mournful, was it?"  
She didn't answer that. She just wiped her hands on the apron wrapped around her waist.  
They did that every year, the dressing up, the lunch, and then the ceremony/dinner. But Teddy was older now and things were different.  
"I liked it. It...suited you. The blue." she said. He could tell her eyes were stinging like she was holding back a sob.  
"Is it because of-"  
"No, no, you do whatever you like, of course. I just thought that-"  
The hair reminded her of his mother. That was probably it. He was a metamorphmagus, just like her. But Grandma never brought it up. She never demanded his hair to be a certain color. Maybe that was something to do with his mother too. Maybe it reminded Grandma of her and she liked it.  
"What color do you want it to be?" Teddy asked, simply. He was willing to do it. Whatever she wanted. Because it hurt her more than anything else. Losing her daughter.  
"No, I can't tell you how to be," she said with a small smile.  
"Don't worry about it, I don't mind, I know what it means. To you."  
She looked at him and after a couple of seconds, she said "Purple. She liked purple."  
Teddy changed it to purple with just a thought, taking the last few stairs down. "Okay, are we going or what?" he asked with a smile himself.  
…  
Lunch was between the tight circle only-the Potters, the Weasleys, and the Order of the Phoenix. It was held in Grimmauld place, because it was the only place that could store so many people at once for a meal. The house used to belong to the Black family but it was used as a base for The Order back in the nineties. Teddy always felt the energy the place brought, the pain from memories of it etched on everyone's faces. They obviously tried to ignore it and with good reason. "The house looked much worse back then" is what everyone kept repeating, every sign of the Black family now gone from this house. Every portrait gone, every terrible reminder that a death eater family lived here besides memories- erased. Teddy's mind lingered on the name Sirius Black once again, a tradition at this point it seemed. On this day. This was his house too. He was Teddy's father's friend. He grew up here. But he hated it as much as everyone else. Or that is what everyone else claimed anyway.  
Every year was the same. The lunch table was buzzing with stories from everyone-the Order's members always talking the most since they knew everyone that died that day. On the 2nd of May 1998, the 2nd Wizarding war. The day they lost many great wizards, the day Harry Potter defeated Voldemort.  
It was all tales to Teddy. He hadn't been there for any of it. The most uncomfortable part of the whole evening was the way people looked at Teddy even in the slightest mention of his parents. But he just ignored them and tried to joke about it, though it wasn't of much help. They thought he was mourning with them, which was normal. But he could tell he was mourning the least of them all. Well maybe if you don't count all the kids.  
"...at the Yule Ball, I remember." Neville was saying, eating his chicken, smiling slightly, lost in the thought. Teddy was sitting opposite him, next to Ron and Ginny. They were all chiming into the conversation whenever they could since they went to Hogwarts together. Small circles were formed around the table, the kids were playing with some gadget, probably from "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes", Arthur Weasley was chatting with Grandma Tonks about phones and Bill Weasley was talking to Kingsley Shackelbolt in whispers, probably something about work.  
"Moody was going around, telling people off for dancing too close, if I remember correctly," said Hermione, now cutting a potato in half.  
"Well technically it wasn't Moody, but-" started Neville, but then stopped mid-sentence. Everything went quiet after that and Teddy could feel the awkwardness spreading around. He didn't even ask.  
"Harry, did you and Ginny go to the ball together?" asked Teddy, trying to veer the conversation away from Alastor Moody. He was also eating chicken, the grease of it was all over his hands.  
"No, I went with Neville," said Ginny casually, her long red hair was tied in a high ponytail. She looked relaxed, maybe more than anyone.  
"Wait, seriously?"  
"Oi, why the tone of surprise?." Neville said defensively.  
"Oh, uh, no, I mean-" Teddy stumbled.  
"Harry had an enormous crush on Cho Chang back then, so I'm sure he wasn't jealous at all." Ron snickers while stuffing his mouth with a copious variety of things.  
"Cho Chang?" asked Teddy, never having heard of the name before.  
"Didn't she reject you, Harry?" joked Ron, probably knowing the answer already.  
"Well you already know, don't you?" said Harry, his glasses covered in steam from the hot food. "At least had someone to invite."  
At that Ginny and Hermione laughed.  
"Wait, so you didn't go with Hermione?" Teddy asked, now confused about it all. He wished they had a Yule ball, it seemed to be like those proms he saw on American teen romantic comedies.  
"Oh, no, Hermione went with Victor Krum!" George joined the conversation now, drinking from his beer with that wicked grin on his face.  
"Victor Krum?" Teddy echoed. "The Bulgarian quidditch player?"  
Hermione was blushing now and Ron was trying hard to keep the grin on his face.  
"I don't know who Ron was more jealous of-him or Hermione!" George laughed now, some of his red hair falling down his face. His wife Angelina hit him in the back of the head, but Teddy saw that she was also laughing. Teddy snickered too, trying to imagine Ron, sitting in the corner watching Hermione dance with the famous quidditch player.  
"All right, so who did you lot go with then?" Teddy pointed a finger between Ron and Harry, now more curious than ever.  
"The Patil twins. They were our last option and we didn't want to go alone." Ron protested, now taking a drink from his own glass.  
"You both should have gone stag with me," George said. The smile hadn't left his face at all.  
"Oi, and look like a bunch of loners?" Ron gasped with an exaggerating hand on his chest. "Never!"  
"I thought you went with Angelina," Ginny asked. Talking about this was safe territory, safer than other subjects of conversation. He could feel the sadness linger in their voices while they were telling their stories, so he tried as often as he could to turn the conversation around to something that wasn't bound to bring back tragic memories.  
"Oh, no, that was Freddie," George said, now grinning all the way up. It wasn't a fake grin, Teddy realized. Not even a little bit. "Stupid git asked her by yelling down the table "Oi, Angelina, go to the ball with me" or something of the sort. And she said yes."  
Teddy was baffled by how easily George talked about his twin, but this was what this gathering was all about after all. Happy memories of the people lost on this day all those years ago.  
"Well, what could I do? Say no?" Angelina laughed, but her eyes were glossy now, probably filled with salty tears.  
"Well, he certainly had style it seems like." Teddy snickered, now just playing with the food on his plate. He wished he had known the guy. Or seen Fred and George together. He knew that George was only half of the deal. Of the pair.  
"To Fred Weasley." Ginny raised a glass, raising her voice so the whole table could hear it. Everyone raised their glasses and echoed "to Fred!"  
"To Freddie! That beautiful bastard." George raised his glass last, the grin occupying his whole face now.  
…  
Lunch was wrapped up an hour later, a couple more toasts to members of the Order were made. But none to his parents. That was left for the Hogwarts memorial ceremony later.  
Teddy slipped off the table, at last, making his way to the bathroom to freshen up. The door was on the upper floor. He was just finishing the first set of stairs when a small creek was heard somewhere from the floor so he looked around.  
The house-elf was just exiting a room, muttering under his breath. His eyes were fully black, his skin rough and his ears flopped down his cheeks. He was wearing what looked like a pillowcase.  
Teddy had never seen this house-elf before, but he assumed it was Kreacher, the house-elf that served the Black family and now Harry. He was always hiding upstairs when they gathered in the house, so Teddy never saw him, not once.  
The elf just stared at him for a short second and then said firmly "You look like him. The one the other loved."  
Teddy didn't know how to respond to that. Did all house-elves go mad after a certain age? He made a note to ask Hermione.  
"What?" Teddy just asked, half hoping Kreacher didn't answer, half curious.  
But Kreacher did the latter and just passed through Teddy, going down the stairs slowly, his head down.  
Teddy didn't think much of it after that.  
...

They were drinking tea in the early afternoon, most of the Order gone, probably to work. Kingsley was the minister after all and almost all of the Weasleys had important work to do for the ministry as well.  
Professor McGonagall joined them for tea, Teddy barely saw her outside of school, but it was a special occasion after all. So it was her, the Potters, Ron, Hermione, and Neville now, drinking tea in the living room and staring at the big TV on the wall where "F.R.I.E.N.D.S" was playing.  
"So, how is your year going, Teddy?" Hermione asked. She was sitting on the couch with a mug in hand. "Aren't you a prefect this year?"  
"Oh, no. I'm flattered you thought so, but I am not" he said. He wasn't perfect, but he didn't even want to be one. Too much work. He had seen the pin, shining on his friend Lyn's robes. Even she wasn't thrilled to be appointed Ravenclaw's prefect, since it was more of a chore glazed with fake glory "But it's going well I think."  
"I thought you were a good student," Ron said, now devouring a pastry. Didn't this guy ever get full?  
"Oh, he is. But he likes to get in trouble sometimes." Neville snorted. As his head of house and professor in herbology, he knew Teddy well. But certainly not well enough. Teddy hoped it would remain that way.  
"Oi, I'll have you know, I am the friend of reason in my group. And one of them became a prefect."  
"Well, I suppose you just have to be smart enough not to get caught." Neville smiled again.  
"Your father, Edward, was a prefect, you know."  
Teddy turned his gaze towards Professor McGonagall. He knew she was his dad's teacher, but he never got the chance to ask her much about him.  
"Well at least for a bit, but then gave the title to James Potter instead." she clarified.  
"Why would he give it up?" Teddy asked.  
"If I recall correctly, it was a hard time for him, his fifth year. Some things happened and he felt responsible, so he decided that it was for the best," she said. Teddy knew she was being cryptic on purpose, but couldn't help his curiosity, so he decided to push it.  
"What did he feel responsible for?"  
Everyone else in the room was just watching the conversation progress without saying a word. They didn't know Remus Lupin as a boy. So maybe this was new information for them too.  
"That is when some of Voldemort's followers first started moving," McGonagall said, sipping from her tea. This must have happened more than thirty years ago. It really dawned on Teddy, at that moment, how much his professor had been through. She had experienced both wars. She had lost twice the amount of people that they were mourning today. "Specifically the werewolves. There were...attacks. And your father felt responsible. And also there was that argument between him and Black."  
"Him and Sirius Black?"  
"Yes, they were friends. But I don't recall what the scuffle was about."  
It must have been serious if it led to his father stepping down from prefect duties. Maybe he was also bored of them and just decided to give them up at that moment. Or maybe what had happened then wasn't just a simple argument.  
They didn't discuss that much more afterward. They just drank their tea, making small talk. Teddy wasn't as social when it came to gatherings with adults. He just didn't have much to say to them. Being with wizards his own age was somewhat easier. But maybe it was the fact that they were these wizards. The infamous Harry Potter and his friends, the Order of the Phoenix. How could he just discuss the weather when so many things have happened, when their lives weren't ordinary at all? And that day, the 2nd of May? Teddy didn't like it much. And not for the right reasons it seemed.  
Teddy couldn't help but wonder what all of the things ProfessorMcgonagall mentioned were about. His mind lingered on his father once again. On his life. On his story. They had all died. Now they were only names. And all the stories died with them.

The ceremony was held in Hogwarts and after arriving there in the late afternoon, he popped up to the Hufflepuff common room to put his luggage away and hopefully spot some of his friends. Teddy hadn't been in Hogwarts, he always went home at least for the day and came back for the evening's ceremony. The atmosphere was different. Classes were also canceled. More for the teachers probably than for the students.  
He tickled the pear and the circular door swung open, revealing a small path for him to slip through. The room was full, loads of people from different houses chattering and doing all sorts of things. Teddy immediately smiled at the view. Just how he liked it. Happy and youthful, somehow.  
The circular windows were letting a lot of light in, the fireplace burning too, making it bright and welcoming. Plants were scattered all over shelves and on the ground, making the room even more alive. Teddy loved it here. Ever since he stepped foot in it his first year in Hogwarts.  
"Oi, Lupin! Here!" called someone and Teddy turned to the big couch in front of the fireplace, the soft, yellow rug in front of it. Their favorite place.  
"Hiya!" Teddy smiled and just waved his wand to send his things up the stairs to the dormitory.  
"How was the outside world? Has humanity as we know it ceased to exist?" Lyn smirked, looking up from her sketchbook. Half of her brown hair was pinned back, revealing the blond underneath.  
"Not yet. But if people on Tumblr don't stop, they will actually end up killing each other." Teddy laughed, taking a seat on the couch next to Michael, who was too busy sleeping to even notice.  
"Uh, I miss the Internet. But you know, it's all right. My mum still sends me these stupid magazines so I can keep up." Lyn said, returning to her drawing. Her blue and bronze scarf was wrapped up around her and her, her flannel tied around her waist. Teddy looked to his sleeping friend next to him.  
"When did he fall asleep?" he asked. Michael's black hair was still spiking up, his Doc Martens propped up on the little table in front of them. He looked almost peaceful, which wasn't his typical state.  
"Oh, nidge him already, I think it's been about an hour." Lyn said, now frantically erasing something with the ribber.  
"How d'you reckon we should wake him up?" Teddy asked, smiling mischievously.  
"Oh, you absolutely have to whisper something dirty in his ear. See how he'll react." Lyn laughed. But before Teddy could respond, Michael moved from next to him, and without even opening his eyes to take in his surroundings, he said.  
"Oh, don't even think about it, wolfboy."  
"For the last time, idiot, I'm not a wolf." Teddy snorted, kicking his friend's leg still propped up on the table.  
"You might not be. But your name is literally Lupin. The nickname basically writes itself."  
Now he put his leg off the table, stretching up. His blue eyes and pale skin made him look like some of those pretty vampire boys in movies.  
"Krum, how long was I out?" he asked, now looking at Lyn who had closed her sketchbook and put it on the table.  
"About an hour. I didn't have the heart to wake you up, you looked so...peaceful.  
"Oh, who are you kidding, we all know you don't have a heart." Michael joked, picking up the sketchbook from the table. "Did you draw me?" he asked, opening it up.  
"In your dreams. The universe doesn't revolve around you, Michael."  
Teddy laughed at the look on Michael's face, the fake exaggeration on it.  
"So, how was the sacred lunch, Ted?" Michael asked, putting the sketchbook down at last and looking at Teddy.  
"Oh, you know, the usual. Ate chicken, discussed our plans for taking over the planet." Teddy said with a straight face.  
"Ha, ha, funny. But no, seriously. How was it?" Lyn asked.  
"All right, I suppose, the usual activities. Some toasts for dead relatives, stories about their adventures and all. Did you know Hermione went to the Yule Ball with your uncle?"  
"With Victor? I suppose because he was in the Triwizard tournament. D'you they had to battle dragons in the first round?" Lyn said, visibly excited at the thought.  
Michael snapped in surprise.  
"Merlin's balls, why would anybody even enter this thing?"  
"Donno. For the glory or something, I think."  
"Oh, It's time we meet with Sandy and Dom. They said Gryffindor tower at seven."

They made their way up the corridors and stairs, the whole castle filled with chatter. There was Anya Collins, her ombre hair braided down her back and her black tank top leaving her gentle shoulders exposed. She had good shoulders. And Ben Johansson, his hair gelled up an insane amount, leaning against the wall, his hands folded on his chest. His hands were lean and muscly. Teddy looked at his own arms and shoulders, comparing them to the gentle and the tough. He was neither. And that made him a bit angry.  
But he knew he looked good regardless and that comparing himself to others seemed stupid. A lot of wizards wore their robes even on weekends or wore atrocious combinations of clothes, but Teddy was 100% confident at least in his style and attire. So he just ignored the thoughts and kept walking up.  
Whoever decided against making elevators in this place must have been some masochist. It took them fifteen minutes to get to Gryffindor tower.  
"Sandra's still inside, playing Barbie with her stupid girlfriends," Dominic said, sitting on the bench with his knees up to his chest, waiting. He was still wearing his robes, his green tie was tied neatly around his neck.  
"Why on earth do you have the tie on? If you're doing robes at least drop the tie." Lyn said, reaching to take the tie of Dominic's neck.  
"No! I like the tie, Madalyn, leave it!" he flinched and blocked her hand.  
"Urh, he's moody again," Michael complained, sitting next to Dominic on the bench. They were like polar opposites in appearance- Michael was tall, but Dominic pretty short, Michael's pale skin, Dominic's dark complexion, their eyes, hair, and clothes. But they looked like brothers just by the way they hung out around each other.  
"Well damn well I am, we were supposed to meet at seven and she's still in there." Dom grunted. "It's not a fashion show, you know."  
"I will go have a look," Lyn suggested and then went to the passage. "Wattlebird!"  
The Fat Lady appeared to just be sipping her wine. She took one look at Lyn and then shouted "You cannot get inside, you don't belong to this house!"  
"Well I told you the password, didn't I," Lyn said, waiting patiently. "You should just have a better security measure if you don't want other houses getting inside. Now, move, you old brat!"  
At last, the portrait swung to the side and Lyn disappeared inside.  
"Feisty," Teddy said with a smile, still staring at the place where she was just standing seconds ago.  
"Merlin save the bloke who gets with her," Michael said with a sigh. "Or girl I suppose."  
They all snickered at the thought and then just waited for the girls to emerge.  
They waited five minutes for them to show up, the portrait finally swinging open and two familiar bodies emerging from inside.  
Sandra's hair was loose, big, and puffy and she was wearing a simple sundress with a cape-like robe over it, trailing behind her as she walked. She had gold on her eyelids and a broad smile as she approached them.  
"Hello there!" she said in excitement and embraced Teddy in a tight hug. "I like your hair!"  
"Thanks," Teddy said. Her hair smelled of shampoo. She was always so cheery.  
Over her shoulder, Teddy saw the slightest of amusement etched onto Michael's face, just for a second, before his usual smirk occupied his face. But he wasn't looking at Sandra.  
"So you're really just going in your robes?" Sandy asked her brother after she released Teddy from the hug. "I thought you were changing too."  
"This is a special event. And we are wizards. Why wouldn't I be wearing robes?" Dom murmured.  
"He's moody again." Sandy bit her lip and just stroded ahead, walking through the hallway and to the staircase.  
"That's what I said," Michael grunted and followed her suit.  
As they were walking away from Gryffindor tower and to the Great hall, Teddy's mind lingered on the thoughts of the past again. He had walked through these very hallways for seven years. He had entered the Gryffindor common room multiple times, sat on the couch next to the fireplace there. Teddy often had the same thoughts about his mother when he was sitting in his own common room, sitting on the couch there and staring at the brick walls. That she was once there. It wasn't a sad thought. It was more of a fun reminder of how it all rotates, it's all a cycle.  
But he knew about his mother. About her time at Hogwarts, about who she was. He was told stories. By his Grandma, by close friends of hers back in the day. But Teddy knew almost nothing about Remus Lupin.  
Why was he thinking about this now? Maybe it was the day, maybe the stories McGonagall had told him earlier.  
He pushed the thought in the back of his mind casually.  
…  
The Great hall wasn't highly decorated. It looked like a normal dinner, except there was one more big table for the adults that were going to arrive. The energy in the hall wasn't yet filled with that sadness like Grimmauld place was. And Teddy quickly recognized why: The adults weren't here yet.  
"Our dads said seven-thirty at the most," Sandy said, taking in the place.  
"Hey, Teddy." a passing girl waved at him.  
"Lupin!" a boy pointed at him with a smile across the room.  
"How are you so popular?" Lyn murmured.  
Teddy scratched his head."Born with the glory, didn't ask for it."  
She snickered. "So are we sitting with the students or-"  
They were never sure where to sit. In their usual spot at the table? Or at the special table, they had put for the "guests of honor".  
"Well, you lot go and take your place at the big table. I'll find someone to sit next to at Hufflepuff's." Michael said and took a step towards the Hufflepuff table.  
"No wait, what the fuck, we are all sitting together," Lyn exclaimed.  
"No...you are mourning, you should sit at the table assigned for that," he said, shrugging her head off.  
"I'm not mourning," Sandy said.  
"Neither am I, idiot." echoed Teddy.  
"You've been weird all day, Ted, don't think I didn't notice. And you three." he turned to Sandy, Dominic, and Lyn. "Your families would be there, so you have to sit with them."  
Michael always did that. Felt weird about all of it because he was the only half-blood of the group, or maybe more because his parents weren't famous, or didn't fight in the war. He probably just felt left out.  
"Oh, don't be sappy like that, our dads aren't dead," Dom mumbled, pointing at himself and Sandy, but Michael didn't appear to have heard it.  
Teddy just patted him on the shoulder and said. "Mate, I've had enough meals listening to stories about dead relatives. I just want to eat with you lot and talk about meaningless crap."  
Michael smiled at that.  
"Also, do you think my stupid uncle would care?" Lyn smiled at him. "He also didn't fight the war, he just gets invited because he has connections or something."  
Then they made their way up to the Hufflepuff table, taking their usual spots, and continued chattering. Some familiar faces started entering the Great hall, taking their spots at the big table. They didn't search for Teddy nor did they even glance in his direction. That was strangely a relief.  
The attention, which he would have otherwise enjoyed at least a little, was suffocating. Because it was filled with expectations. It's like every time someone looked at him, they were looking at a stray puppy, at a mourning person. An orphan. Which he technically was. But it didn't feel that way.  
It was true that he didn't have his parents. "But parents are just a concept" Lyn had said in their first year at Hogwarts. He had his godfather and Ginny, the Weasleys, his grandma. They were a family. He wasn't an orphan.  
The cool thing about Hogwarts was that it was filled with stupid teenagers and their broken philosophies, their stupid rules of life. So everyone actually hated that day, even more so because it was a bit stupid for them and it was "Gloomy and sad. We could have had a party for them or something! It's like a funeral every year. Dads say that half the people that died would have hated it too.". Those were Sandy's words the year prior.  
Lost in thought, Teddy didn't notice the two adults heading straight for their table, their cloaks sloshing dramatically behind them. They were grinning.  
"Oh, no. This isn't good," said Dominic and buried his head in his hands, refusing to watch the two men approach.  
"Oh, bloody hell, we aren't here to embarrass you, Dominic, we just wanted to say hello." Dean rolled his eyes, patting him on the shoulder.  
"Well good, hello. Have a nice evening." he groaned from under his hands.  
"I bet he thinks we are going to PDA in front of all of Hogwarts." Seamus smiled, patting Sandy on the head.  
"Oh, Mr. Thomas-Finnigan, I think he is just in a mood today. We've just been ignoring him." Michael assured him with a smile.  
"Hello, Michael," Dean said, then turned to Teddy and Lyn. "Edward, Madelyn."  
"Hello." they both said in unison and waved a hand.  
"All right then, we're off," Dean said and he and his husband strolled onto the special table. They didn't ask them why they hadn't taken their seats there. They were always tactful like that.  
"I'm jealous." Lyn sighed.  
"Of what?" Sandy asked, still staring in the direction of her parents  
"You're dads, of course."  
"Urh, don't be," Dominic said, still from under his arms.  
"Oh, and why is that? Anything against?" Teddy asked, a mocking smile.  
"Oh, don't be like that. they are just...parents. Adults. I just don't like adults." Dom said, now lifting his head. His eyes almost closed. If you didn't know him you might say he was tired or bored. But Teddy knew he just looked like that on the daily.  
"We all hate adults. I'm just saying, if I were their child, we would have been one big queer family." Lyn said, lazily. She had dropped the scarf and was now wearing a tank top, a big flannel, and loose jeans.  
Teddy laughed at that..  
A couple of minutes later, a big crowd of wizards swarmed the hall and the chattering stilled, all heads turning to them. Teddy spotted Harry, Ron, and Ginny, whispering amongst themselves. Hermione was talking to a blond witch with a jumpy sort of walk. Luna Lovegood. Teddy was wondering why she hadn't been at lunch earlier. Maybe she had work or just didn't wish to attend.  
Other aurors followed them in, the last one closing the door. They glanced around and when their eyes settled on Teddy and his friends, their faces unreadable. There was a slight question in Harry's eyes.  
"Well, I suppose we should begin." headmistress Mcgonagall's voice boomed through the Great hall, and silence followed suit. Only a couple of students had the guts to whisper amongst themselves.  
"Today once again we celebrate our victory in the war against the Dark Lord sixteen years ago." she started. Her voice was loud, confident. She always started with that sentence, every year since Teddy was eleven years old. "Many wizards fought to end his year long oppression and restore ultimate peace over the wizarding world. And the muggle one, for that matter.  
"A lot of them are sitting here amongst us today." she gestured to the big table where everyone was sitting. A couple of moments of silence followed.  
"A lot of them are not." her voice was still unwavering. Teddy was always blown away by her bravery. "Even though the final battle took place right here sixteen years ago, the sacrifices and the violence started years prior. James and Lily Potter, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadows, Frank, and Alice Longbottom, Gideon and Fabian Prewett." she paused for a couple of seconds. They were all names Teddy had heard and read about many times. "We mourn them today. As well as the victims from the final battle in 1998."  
There it was. The names were about to be recited. As they did every year.  
"Cedric Diggory, Fred Weasley. Remus Lupin and Nympadora Tonks."  
Heads turned towards Teddy, but he avoided everyone's stares and looked at his friends instead. They just smiled at him warmly.  
"Lavender Brown, Severus Snape. And some victims of Voldemort's ever so cruel actions before the battle on the 2nd of May- Charity Burbage, Albus Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, Regulus, and Sirius Black."  
The name curled against Teddy's mind like it had earlier today. Sirius Black. His dad's friend. The only direct defiant of the Black family beside Teddy's grandmother.  
Teddy didn't even realize the chatter around him at first, but when the voices finally entered his head.  
"Hey, have you heard for that bloke Regulus Black? Who?" Micheal was saying, looking around. Teddy hadn't even noticed another name being mentioned.  
"Hm, I don't think it was on the list before, was it?" Sandy asked casually.  
"Regulus Black? I've never even heard of him." Teddy added. He noticed Dominic, staring straight ahead from opposite him. Teddy followed his gaze to the table full of aurors.  
"They don't know either," he said in a low calm voice, but his eyes were filled with questions. He was probably right. A lot of the auror's faces were scrunched with confusion and even they were chattering amongst themselves.  
"Regulus and Sirius Black? Maybe they were relatives." Lyn added to the conversation. "But I thought-"  
Before she could finish her thought, Mcgonagall's voice filled the hall once again.  
"We honor and mourn them today, but also celebrate the victory that they gave their lives for." she paused for a couple of seconds. Teddy knew she was rounding up her big speech. "I am proud to have known them all. And to have fought alongside them as well. And now, as Albus Dumbledore, himself would have said. 'Let's eat!'"  
Huge piles of food filled the tables, roasted chicken, vegetables, mashed potatoes, and pie-all foods Teddy loved. He was hungry.  
The rest of the evening passed in conversation with his friends, some other students like Alina Stewart from Ravenclaw and her boyfriend Daniel joining in. Teddy was glad he had chosen to sit with them instead of on the big table with the "guests of honor". He was sick of pity and of weird looks, awkward silences, and polite small talk. Who was here now was all that mattered


	2. Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slight mention of underage drinking at the end, keep in mind characters are 16 yo

may 21st 2014  
"You should put in at least a tab of effort if you want to pass, you know." Lyn was saying, propped up on the big couch, legs against her chest.  
"Teddy will land me his notes, right, Teddy?" Sandy looked at Teddy with a hopeful, flirty smile.  
"Uh, I never said that," Teddy said. "And seducing me won't work, you know."  
Sandy lied down on the carpet with an exasperated sigh. "You're impossible."  
The Gryffindor common room was bright and cheerful, packed with students studying, chattering, and playing games. The fire was crackling in the fireplace, making pleasant noises Teddy appreciated. His teacup was propped on one arm of his armchair, almost empty.  
"Don't act up, Madalyn, I know you don't study either," Sandy said from the ground.  
"Well I pass, don't I?" Lyn smiled. "Studying is boring. But your grades in History of magic have been terrible lately. So you have to suck it the fuck up and read a book."  
"Urh, you're impossible too."  
Lyn and Sandy bickered more often than not, but it was never serious. As the only girls in the friend group, they knew better than to fight but instead brought their forces together against the boys. Sandy was more social and literal, her strong personality often overpowered her sense. But she was amazing at making contacts and dealing with people. Lyn was less reckless but she was a powerhouse and although she looked calm and collected, Teddy and the rest could confirm that her temper wasn't something to mess with. Somehow these two meshed together and made the girls really close.  
"Where is Michael when you need him." Teddy signed jokingly and put his pen down, observing his progress on the essay he was writing.  
"Practice," Lyn answered without even lifting her head off her book.  
"Mhm," Teddy said half-mindedly. "D'you reckon one page is enough for that essay for Longbottom?"  
"We had an essay?" Sandy whined. "I'm so screwed."  
A minute later the big portrait opened and a tall boy walked in, his broom in hand and his quidditch robes still on. Students turned their heads to see who the newcomer was.  
"You have a common room, go linger there!" some girl complained.  
"Oh, shut up." Michael snapped at her.  
He was visibly in a bad mood, his black hair was spiking up even more than usual from the wind. He dropped down next to Lyn as she made space for him on the couch.  
"Oh, Merlin, what now?" Teddy asked, putting down his essay at last.  
"That son of a bitch Bay and his stupid bullshit." Michael almost shouted.  
"Oi, calm down! What happened." Sandy asked.  
"The usual crap, tormenting first years."  
"You got detention, didn't you." Lyn sighed.  
"No, not me," Michael said, much more calmly than before. "Dominic did."  
Dominic might look like he doesn't care, but he absolutely cannot stand injustice and especially Bay's pathetic attempts to bully children.  
"Don't tell me he cursed them." Sandy moaned.  
"Oh, I see," Teddy said, slightly smiling. "You feel guilty."  
"Wipe that smirk off your face, it's not funny."  
So he did feel guilty. Teddy wasn't surprised. Although he denied it, he cared way too much.  
Teddy snickered. "You're so sappy, it's actually adorable."  
Michael didn't snap back, the anger from his face completely gone now, replaced by some sort of sadness that lingered in his eyes.  
"It's not that bad, Dom can take it," Lyn said. "It's Filch."  
"Ok, it's bad. But there is worse."  
Sandy checked the clock on the wall and then looked at her "Aren't you supposed to be off for practice after Michael?"  
"Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." Lyn snapped up and gathered her stuff, running out of the common room.  
Michael smirked. "She is such an airhead."  
...  
O.W.Ls were just a couple of weeks away and the tension was in the air. The library was packed with 5th years, revising and trying spells. Teddy didn't spend much time in the library itself. He preferred to linger in the common rooms with his friends in front of the fireplace.  
Teddy studied relatively hard, but without putting all his energy towards remembering goblin war dates and potion ingredients. He liked to have fun whenever he could afford it. His friends had mostly the same philosophy. Madlyn hated studying more than anything. She found half the subjects completely useless and couldn't wait to drop some of them in her 6th year. She actually put a lot of her energy into nudging Sandy to study often and not fall behind. Sandy liked learning her own spells and charms and doing her own research, because according to her "most things we have to learn are completely useless". So she was fairly a competent witch, contrary to the popular belief.  
Dominic was still a 4th year, so he didn't have to worry about O.W.Ls yet. But he was doing fairly enough. Michael, however, had had some revaluation or something in the past year. He had used to have little interest in most subjects and found them extremely boring. But for some reason this year he had raised the level tremendously and between studying and quidditch, he spent little time relaxing or kidding around with the rest of his friends. Teddy was curious about the change of pace but never asked him about it.

Professor Kettleburn was on about some dog with a double tail, but Teddy wasn't quite listening. The boy on the table close to him was looking at her with a bored look. Thomas Bay was a fifth-year Slytherin with what looked like a serious attitude problem and an undying desire to torment younger students. Or at least that has seemed to be his hobby since the start of 5th year. Teddy never paid much attention to him before that. But he was rarely a witness to his actions, although he heard a bunch of stories from other students.  
After class, Teddy approached him while he was gathering his things, the same bored expression was occupying his face.  
"What's your deal, anyway," Teddy asked, leaning on the table next to him.  
"This is a very general question, I'm going to need you to elaborate," he said, without stopping to look at Teddy.  
"You got my friend in detention. I don't mean to be a dick, but you have been a pain in the ass since first-year. What's the reason?"  
Maybe asking bullies why they are bullies was ridiculous. Teddy couldn't remember even hearing someone answer the question.  
"Hm, I don't know, actually," Thomas said, now putting his backpack over his shoulder. "But if you figure it out, tell me."  
And just like that, he walked out. Teddy was livid.  
His anger was gone five minutes later because lunch had arrived.  
"Oi, don't even waste your breath. I've tried." Sandy said after Teddy told them about their little interaction.  
"What do you mean you've tried?"  
"Oh, you know. I've asked him out." Sandy said casually.  
"You're kidding," Teddy said with disbelief.  
"She is very much not. I was there. He didn't even have a snarky answer, he just said no and turned around." Lyn said in amusement while stacking eggs on her plate.  
"When was that?" Teddy asked.  
"Oh, like third year? Do not remember. But he is extremely handsome and I had to give it a shot." Sandy snickered.  
"That's just stupid." Dominic chimed in from the corner.  
"Yeah, I second that." Teddy said.  
"How is detention?" Lyn asked him, slightly changing the subject.  
Teddy's detention record was relatively small because even if he did something stupid, he rarely got caught. That was mostly due to his friends, but the first time he had gotten detention was in his third year. Some girl argued he dyed his hair regularly and that wasn't his natural color, so he had to show her in…a different way. The girl was so disgusted, she told McGonagall and Teddy got detention cleaning trophies for two weeks.  
"Fine. Boring. I'm cleaning Filch's office. No magic." said Dominic.  
"Why is Filch here, anyway. He does everything without magic. Why don't they fire him." Michael asked and sat down next to Dominic. "Isn't he ancient? Like worked here since the sixties at least."  
Teddy pondered that. He had heard Harry mentioning him in more than one instance, but never paid the old brat Filch much attention.  
"What does he store in his office, anyway? You reckon he sleeps there too?" Teddy theorized, half-joking half-serious.  
Lyn snickered "Oh, I wouldn't put it past him. But I think it's just full of random confiscated objects. Dom?"  
Dominic looked up from his meal "Yes, more or less." then caught Michael's stare. "I'll let you know if I come across something interesting."

That Saturday, in the common room, Teddy had trouble focusing on anything school-related. His thoughts were everywhere and nowhere at the same time, but he caught his train of thoughts following a specific pattern at some point. The usual pattern. The usual name.  
It had been weeks since the memorial/celebration or whatever it was supposed to be and Teddy thought that that would be enough to put his father out of his mind. That is what happened every year: he got curious (nothing unusual), thought about it for a bit on the day, and then forgot all about it until next year. But why was it still there? Maybe it was all the things McGonagall had told him, or maybe it was that weird thing that house-elf said. Maybe the elf was just bonkers. That was a very plausible idea.  
"Hey, you all right?" Sandy asked him, looking at him from the couch. Teddy was sprawled on the floor with his backpack next to him. He hadn't even gotten most of his supplies out.  
"Let's go to the match, shall we? We'd be a bit early, but that way we can get good seats."  
They went to the pitch and took their seats in the Hufflepuff stands. Not that many students had arrived yet, it was still pretty early in the afternoon. The match was Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw and both Michael and Madlyn were playing. Teddy, of course, wanted Hufflepuff to win. After all, it was his house. Although he didn't care much about the sport. Sandy and Dominic took their seats next to him, although Sandy was going to root for Ravenclaw per usual. She always got stares from the other students whenever she would cheer when Ravenclaw got points, but she didn't care for such things. Dominic on the other hand just liked observing the game regardless of who was playing.  
"Michael has been working hard this year, I think we might have a chance." Teddy said.  
"Yes, he has, but also a lot if his time has been occupied by studying, believe it or not." Sandy commented. She was wearing big hoops and a jumper and skirt. "Where d'you reckon he got that sudden motivation?"  
"That's what I have been thinking lately." Teddy confessed. "Dom, you know something?"  
"I think Ravenclaw will win." Dominic ignored the question. "Madlyn is a strong beater, but Victoire Weasley has been made keeper this year. They have strong assets."  
"Oh, Victoire? No way. She is a fourth-year, right?" Sandy asked.  
Dominic wasn't looking at her, but at something in his backpack. But before Teddy could ask, Dominic closed the bag and turned towards his sister.  
"Yes, she is in some of my classes. Although the only thing she has said to me is ask me if you were free and if I could mention her to you." he said, looking at Teddy now.  
"Merlin's beard, she has a crush on you!" Sandy exclaimed and started laughing. "You should ask her out."  
Teddy thought about that, and the girl made him a little excited. She was very pretty and probably already had a line of boys, dying to take her out. Teddy had seen her multiple times at gatherings because she was Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's daughter. He was even certain he had heard something about her being eight veela. But he hadn't talked to her much, although she looked like a pleasant girl. Was he interested in her? What did even having a crush on someone look like? Teddy didn't know. He actually had never been interested in someone.  
Students started arriving some half an hour later, filling the stands. And after some other fifteen minutes, the players were out on the pitch.  
Slytherin was on the top of the scoreboard when it came to quidditch, but this match could change everything. Teddy was not particularly interested in playing quidditch, maybe because flying on a stick, fifteen meters in the air didn't sound like a particularly safe, comfortable, or fun practice. So he preferred to watch.  
Teddy spotted Michael, the captain, and keeper of the Hufflepuff quidditch team. He had been playing since his third year and was an overall decent player. What Teddy knew, however, was that he was even better at leading the players.  
He immediately started yelling things at his playmates, but the smile was ever on his face. Teddy looked around, struggling to spot Lyn on the pitch.  
"What is she doing there?" Sandy asked, apparently having spotted her.  
Teddy averted his gaze toward where she was looking.  
"Oh, not this fucker again."  
Of course, Lyn was bickering with a boy with an unmistakable mop of black hair. Or more so, they were both talking to each other calmly, but it was like they were trying to kill each other with eyes.  
"Is that Bay?" Sandy squinted in their direction.  
Things died down fairly quickly and Thomas just disappeared in the crowd. Teddy made a mental note to ask Lyn what it was all about later.  
Quidditch looked fun enough on the pitch. Lyn was hitting the bludger towards the Hufflepuff players like her life depended on it and she easily knocked them out. Despite her usual calmness, she was an animal on the pitch and yelled a litany of profanities at her opponents every chance she got. Michael kept shouting orders to other players and defending the hoops with excellence. The game kept on for an hour until Hufflepuff's seeker caught the snitch. It was received with shouts from both teams.  
"They don't look happy." Teddy said after students from around him on the stands started also yelling insults at the player.  
"That's because Ravenclaw now has ten points more since they scored last second." Dominic said, looking uncharacteristically interested.  
Teddy spotted Lyn on the pitch as she swooped on her broom in triumph. Micheal looked defeated, but he was also smiling slightly.  
"She won't be dropping that for the next week, be prepared." Sandy said with a laugh.  
Everyone around them on the stands was slumber and visibly upset.  
"Oh, we lost. How sad." Teddy said with a fake regret and got up to leave the stands. "This sport is tiring."  
"You don't even play, Edward." Sandy snickered as she followed.  
"Yeah, I don't play, I also don't care enough and it's still tiring. How does that happen?"  
They finally made their way to the common room to wait for Michael. 

Hufflepuff was often stereotyped to be the boring house. The house with the people that didn't fit in the other three. But that was very much not the case and everyone that had been there after a match would know it. Because despite the aftermath of the game, it all resulted in one thing: drinking.  
Sad drinking, happy drinking-it was all the same. Michael downed his sorrow in vodka every time and Teddy just participated in the drinking games.  
"Okay, captain, truth or dare?" Vincent, one of the chasers in the team, asked him.  
"Hmmm, let's go with dare then, I'm feeling dare-y. Is that even a word? Haha, it is now."  
He was obviously not on this planet.  
The dare was to kiss Sandy and Michael just smacked a big, disgusting-looking, kiss (if you can even call it that, it was more of a peck) on her mouth and laughed. He did that every time he was dared to kiss someone and at this point, people weren't sure if the guy just didn't know how to kiss, or if he was too out of it to remember to separate his lips.  
"Why do we always play truth or dare, anyway? Aren't there a million other games?" Diana, a classmate from Hufflepuff, asked Teddy, while everyone was cheering at the kiss.  
Teddy laughed "Yeah, you have a point there."  
The whole thing continued until 2am.  
"I feel like I am missing something, what am I missing? Someone's not here, Ted, who isn't here?" Michael asked, walking towards Teddy. "Edward? Oh my, I feel dizzy."  
"Here, mate, let's go to bed." Teddy said, barely containing his laughter.  
…  
Teddy found himself on the breakfast table, eating a hangover breakfast. Michael was sitting next to him, chugging a glass of orange juice.  
"Urh remind me to-"  
"Never drink again? Like that ever works." Teddy laughed, nibbling on his eggs.  
"How are you okay?" Michael complained. "Oh, I forgot. You don't like to have fun."  
Teddy snorted "Oh, sure, mate, but I am having a lot of fun right now.  
Lyn joined them some half an hour later, grinning like a cat.  
"You know, underage drinking is illegal. As a prefect, I should be taking points away."  
"You got wasted last night, don't even deny it." Sandy chimed in, drinking her latte.  
Lyn never got drunk. It was all a big mystery because she could drink half a bottle and be totally fine. Hangover immunity was also apparently a power she possessed. But ever since they started having some fun at parties, she would be the one to watch over their wasted bodies.  
"Oh, well I cleaned throw up off a marble floor and watched drunk Rachel argue with the eagle at the entrance of the common room."  
Teddy suddenly remembered Lyn's argument with Thomas the previous day, just before the match.  
"Hey, speaking of arguments, what was that scuffle about yesterday before the match? With Bay." he asked her. She was now putting a lot of eggs and sausage on her plate.  
"Oh, dunno, something about an object that belonged to him. I really think there is something wrong with that guy. I told him to piss off and that I have no idea what he was talking about and then he just left."  
Teddy thought about that. What could Bay suddenly want that from them? And what object could he possibly be after?  
"Well, now I'm intrigued." Teddy smiled and continued eating his breakfast.

**Author's Note:**

> hey, I am aware this first chapter is loooong, but I wanted to make the introduction feel familiar and nostalgic to all Harry Potter fans and lay down all the groundwork so you can see where it stands with canon


End file.
